Odysseus

Description

Odysseus, reflecting.

It’s over. After ten long years we burnt the topless towers of Ilion. It was the horse – my horse- that got us in. The Trojans fell for it – thank Zeus they didn’t listen to Cassandra. Agamemnon has her now; I wonder what that dreadful wife of his will think of her. The Trojans dragged the horse into the city through the Scaean Gate to the main agora, to celebrate. But there we were, me, Menelaus, Diomedes and some fifty-odd of the lads, all praying that we weren’t about to be burned alive. Around midnight the Trojans were drunk to a man, we got out. opened the gate, and that was that.

But looking back, why?

Menelaus called in our oaths to support him, but made doubly sure that old Nestor made me adhere to mine. But a thousand ships and umpteen men don’t just take up arms to retrieve a woman, even if the most lovely of all was Agamemnon’s sister in law. No, he just wanted to sack the place, take over control of the straits, and have a handy cash flow form the traders using it. Well he’ll get his; I hope that viper, his wife, gives him a warm welcome home.

And at what cost? Achilles gone, and Patroclus with him – he was the nicest fiend one could ever have. Thousands of dead on both sides. Hector – he was as noble as any, unlike his wretched brother Paris, who started the whole mess. Priam, also one who we could all look up to, but he should never have given Paris his blessing.

Well, it’s done and good riddance. We sail in the morning , and a short trip home to Ithaca and Penelope. I’ll give my model of the horse to Telemachus as a memento.